FAIR Data Spaces
he FAIR Data Spaces project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from May 2021 to December 2024. In this project, the Gaia-X federated and secure data infrastructure and the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) are connected to a common, cloud-based data space for industry and research in compliance with the FAIR Principles, i.e., to share data in a findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable way.
The project will create a roadmap for the collaboration of both initiatives, clarify the ethical and legal framework for data exchange between research and industry, establish a common technical foundation and demonstrate the use of Gaia-X technology for providing and using research data along the FAIR Principles in different fields of science and business sectors.
The NFDI Association and numerous universities organized in NFDI consortia represent the research application domain. The industry-oriented Gaia-X side is represented by the Fraunhofer Society as well as Atos as a representative of the enterprises participating in Gaia-X. Further, particularly small enterprises, will be involved into the project by subcontracts in 2024.
At the kick-off of the project, consortium coordinator Dr. Christoph Lange, head of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence department at Fraunhofer FIT, said, “in recent years, research as well as industry have made major steps towards standardized data infrastructures. The FAIR Data Spaces project now connects these worlds at their intersection, i.e., the joint use of research data – in an organizational, legal and technical way. Enterprises that are compatible with Gaia-X or planning to become compatible will thus gain easier access to research data.”
Prof. Dr. York Sure-Vetter, NFDI director, said, “I am happy that our joint project on FAIR Data Spaces is starting. The collaboration with Gaia-X enriches the NFDI, as many of our consortia are connected to industry and thus both sides, research as well as industry, are addressing similar questions about research data management. The FAIR Data Spaces project will help the existing and future NFDI consortia to provide research data according to the FAIR Principles and as freely and openly as possible.”
Subscribe to the FAIR Data Spaces Newsletter to stay up to date!
Publications within the FAIR DS Projects can be found on the FAIR Data Spaces Community of Zenodo.
Work packages
